THE N W YORKER work together often portrayed Inen and women cOll1ing on with each other, and Nichols and May were particularly sharp at skewering common dishones- ties, egotistical little gaInes, and ulterior desperation. Yet the one scent' in "The Graduate" in which Ben jall1in lets his hair down to Elaine ("I feel like I'lll playing this game somebody else made up the rules to...") is closer to î Nichols and May routine than any conversation with Mrs. Robinson- though heaven forbid we should laugh at it. l--heÜ- comedy almost never took sides-one of them didn't become the other's butt. Nichols' character was just as derisible as May's, and neither useà gag Jines to nlakt' us laugh; instead, each tried to express himself with the utmost seriousness and wound up-- partly to our embarrassment, hecause each said things that anv of us might hear ourselves saying-fatuous. In "l--he Grad uate," Nichols treats as revelation the kind of material he would once have used for his comedv, and makes cOlnedy out of the kind of ma- terial that would once have been beneath him. \\Then Benjamin first arrives at the hotel, he does a double tîke when the clerk asks him, "Are you here for an affair?" Soon we are asked to laugh at everv hint of his anguish. Mrs. Robinson becomes more than a domineering female. The tra- ditional sexual roles are reversed: she clearly wants nothing more than a good time in bed, and Benjamin, like a Vassar girl, keeps working the con versation around to his mis- givings about not having a "meaningful relationship." Her frank, predatory sexuality begins to look like derision of Benjamin. His compliance begins to suggest that he ll1USt despise himself. Had Nichols ll1adt' a more substantial case against Benjamin's surroundings- had that issue survived the first third of the film-his self-degradation would ha ve made sense, at least dramatically: he might have felt so sullied by his in- ability to break connections with so- ciety that he could not foresee ever feeling pride in himself. After the surprising credibilitJ of the first third, the tigh t structure of plot and character begin falling to pieces. \Ve are assaulted by a series of unbe- lievable detaIls. Presumably vItal ques- tIons of plot become Irrelevant, because of incredible elements within the plot. Is Ben jdmin a virgin or isn't he? After the first hotel-room Scene with Mrs. Robinson, we could equally well decide eIther waVe Since Benjamin's entire motivatIon in the scene hinges upon the " " } true answer, we may assume t 1at <It< >' $- "Y...<< yv. >> :. .. 51 LADY ARROW lives up to its name with this sIim-as-an-arrow coat dress from its maxi f>..\3 L f. C collection. Interestingly tailored in corduroy Q "9 -that comfortable, flattering pure cotton, Li:. so important this fall. Double breasted with gold buttons. Green, orange, brown; sizes () I""J 6 to 16: about $16.00. At stores listed below. Cotton Producers Institute, Box 12253, Memphis, Tenn. 38112. CO ON < YOU CAN FEEL HOW GOOD IT LOOKS f. .. -Qo oX --:"" <Q, ,41 . .. ^- ".-.:0,. "< $^- . * , "-'--- "-::-- :::: ...: ...... "" ' < :::. ./' :-.... ......... .. Stern Brothers. New York; Carson Pirie Scott, Chicago; Charles F. Berg, Portland, Ore.; Nowell s. Raleigh, N. C.